Five Tips for Keeping Your System Running Optimally.

As with all PC's running Windows, the chance the system will slow down or start misbehaving is very high. The best defense for preventing this type of behavior is to have a good maintenance practice.

The following tips will help you start the process of good maintenance. It is recommended that you perform the tips monthly.

1. Run a Defragmentation on the system. This will help Windows keep its system files as well as other program files in proper order making it easier for the operating system to find them.

2. Run Disk Clean Up. This will allow you to empty the Temp folder, as well as the Recyle Bin, and Temporary Internet folders. When these get full they can take up valuable virtual space on your system.

3. Check your hard drive space. Having a full hard drive can cause the system to run slow, and even stop some processes, such as printing.

4. Make sure you have the proper amount of RAM for the type of software you are running. Check the system requirements on the software box or manual to ensure your system meets them.

5. Update your system drivers. An example would be if you are running a graphic intensive program. Make sure the graphic card has the most up to date drivers. This can help the system behave better when trying to draw the images on the screen.